Wxgba

I've seen that Steve has since upped the number of posts per page to 18, but isn't there some way of us members changing the amount of posts per page at our own discretion? Personally, I'd rather have, say, 30 posts per page as opposed to a lesser number as I simply can't be bothered to keep clicking on to the next page. I'm one to shy away from contribution if I've failed to read the entirety of the thread and I'm sure some other members share this preference. When I see a topic is 40+ pages long, I prematurely tell myself not to bother reading through all the posts. Also, is there any way to hide signatures? If there is, I'm bypassing it...

Oh the irony...

This is your reward for donating £100 to the forum!

The real question we, as Chelsea fans, ought to be asking is - even if we weren't linked with Hazard and Hulk - why are we "interested" in Walcott? He makes Aaron Lennon look world-class.

The entire Belgium squad? It seems as though we're after them all anyway...

You're my hero.

Why doesn't that surprise me? I'll take you up on the offer, though, if that's okay? I'll revert back to basics - 'Greg', please. Can't complain about "getting bored" of my name now, can I?

Can I change mine?

It read like poetry - cohesive is an understatement in this instance. BlueLion who?

A fantastic read, as per usual, Al. Nothing less than brilliant can be used to describe your writing skills. However, I do have one minor gripe. You've posted this in the 'Articles' sub-forum, not the one titled 'Dissertations'.

Only if you click on the thread name. If you notice, you can click on the name of the member, the post or the thread. Just on the 'post you made' part to see which one they liked, quoted, or whatever else you want to do with it!

That wouldn't be our concern, though, would it?

The end of an era ends in ecstasy. Where now?

Firstly, thanks for the kind words regarding the article - I'm glad you liked it. Although Drogba's undergoing transfer talks, I too feel the time is right to depart. The perfect send-off for him would be to leave the club he's worked so hard for by scoring the penalty to win them their first Champions League trophy. Professional script-writers would struggle to find a better ending to his Chelsea career. He's been nothing less than an ambassador for this football club during his time here; whether he stays or goes, I'll still love him. One of the best players I've ever seen during my lifetime - and that's not just for Chelsea! I disregarded Essien, Kalou, Malouda, Bosingwa and Ferreira within my article as I consider them dead-wood. They need to leave. However, if Di Matteo remains in charge next season, I can see Kalou staying with the club. Essien's injury problems have hampered his development more than anyone could have imagined. I had high hopes but his injury woes have eradicated any chances of him becoming a world-class player. I'll concede that Kalou's a useful squad player, but certainly nothing more than that. Malouda has endured some good times for the Blues but has had a bitter-sweet relationship with the club from the outset. Never has shown that consistency that is required to play at the highest level for us. Bosingwa, although proving his worth against Barcelona, is too much of a liability to be a first-team player. I always fear for the team when he's in possession... even when he's not in possession I fear the worst, in fact! Ferreira's been a good servant but if we're having an overhaul, he's another one that's past his sell-by date. Regarding Di Matteo's appointment, I'm not for or against it - I'm situated right on the fence. It's hurting my balls. He's done wonders for the club in such a short time so is definitely worth a go. I know how impatient some of the fans can be, though, and if things don't go our way at the start of the season, they could be straight on his back. After what he's done for the club, you'd think he'd be untouchable, but I can assure you there will be fans out there looking for reasons to get him out - there's always a reason. Saying that, I can't think of a suitable replacement. As much as Guardiola's name sounds attractive, he's unproven. It has the potential to be a debacle such as the Andre Villas-Boas appointment. Mourinho won't come back - not this season - other than that, no-one else deserves the job more than Di Matteo so it would only be fair to give him a shot at building his own team. I'd be interested to see how he fares in the transfer window, to be honest. Especially given the extra incentive of joining the Champions of Europe that will be surrounding the club. As ever is the case with such speculation, only time will tell... NB: Sorry for all the clichés, guys, I'm a sucker for using them!

Fixed. Thanks for pointing out the mistake.* *Note to self: Proof-read before posting!

You're disregarding his loan spell at Sheffield United. Invaluable experience for him. Good at mentoring defenders are the Blades: Jagielka, Cahill, Walker and Naughton all made big moves after impressing at Bramall Lane.

From Munich to the highest of highs and now back down to reality, where is Chelsea Football Club left amidst all these celebrations? Long may the party continue - and deservedly so - but sooner or later, the realisition is going to hit home that we're left with a bunch of mediocre players that only Di Matteo has succeeded in resurrecting - this feat alone is surely worth a contract offer from Abramovich. That, plus the little-known fact that Chelsea were victorious in Munich last night so, you know, they're Champions of Europe. No biggie. It's not like Abramovich is bothered about that trophy anyway... Put all of my poor attempts at humour to one side, though, and where are we left, realistically? Di Matteo's done a grand job and has overcome the odds time after time. You can only ride your luck for so long, though, and I really do think that come next season, that may be wearing thin and we'll be back to square one all over again - and we certainly don't want that. Personally, I think Di Matteo ought to bow out in style. The 'burden' - if I should call it that? - of the Champions League has finally been relieved from Roman's shoulders so he now needs to prioritise the club's future short-term and long-term goals. Short-term: hire and put faith in a manager to come in and make changes - allow him control of transfers too, please! Long-term: sort out the youth team set-up. Not many players seem to be coming through our ranks and making an impression - we have to buy the talent in from elsewhere. We don't need to do that as a top club. Will Roman answer to my wishes? Probably not. But I hope the glamour of the trophies doesn't go to his head and he starts spending ridiculous prices on needless transfers, a la Torres. We need to a new spine to the team, as it won't be long until John Terry and Frank Lampard hang their boots up. Drogba's doubtful for next season. That leaves us with the cocyx that is Petr Cech. The remainder of the "old guard" will either be gone or virtually ineffective. The time to install a new heart to Chelsea Football club is now. Not next season, or the following one after that. Now. Gary Cahill looks to be our new John Terry, so that's that ticked off the list. Lampard? Irreplaceable, but we can try! We've got Mikel, Ramires and Mata who are all worthwhile players in the squad, but none are in the same mould as "Fat Frank" - y'know, that one that now owns a Champions League winners' medal? We need to be looking into adequate replacements for Lampard's position. Drogba may or may not be here next season, but we certainly need to be replacing him with another player of similar stature. Torres may work hard, but our team lacks the service that he thrives on, and I'm sure it's easier to find a player similar to Drogba than it is to find three or four world-class players to surround one striker that is seemingly past his best. Lukaku looks a promising prospect, but that's all he is at present: a prospect. In Lukaku and Torres, we have strikers yet to prove themselves in the blue of Chelsea. £68m well-spent? Unfortunately not. Di Matteo's legacy - yes, I'm calling it that! - will live on forever. We're the first London club to become the Champions of Europe. I can't thank the man enough for our tremendous turnaround. Didier's dramatic goals in finals - nine in nine, don't forget - will always be remembered. Lampard's legendary status has infinitely risen after captaining a winning side to the club's first ever Champions League trophy, if that was even possible. John Terry: Captain. Leader. Legend. An old-fashioned centre back plying his trade in modern-day football... that will be hard to find again. After Gary Cahill, that is! Fact of the matter is, this group of players is on its last limbs. Let them celebrate and embrace the good times that follow, but come the pre-season, a lot of changes need to be made. And they need to be made swiftly. You hear me, Roman? Click here to view the article

You called it. Mario Go-miss.

I'm aware the forum's undergoing changes - probably as I type this... - but the alignment of the avatars is off. I'm sure an experienced Admin such as Jim is aware of this and is working to get it fixed, but I was serving my duty as a caring member by pointing out just in case it may have slipped under the radar. I'll use this time to also congratulate the staff for their swift work on the banners. The addition of the Champions League trophy next to the 'TalkChelsea' logo is very apt, too. Fantastic, in fact. KTBFFH.

Ollie, that's a great effort, and kudos on sticking by your word. Not very often you witness offers of such gratitude in today's society, and I'm sure the forum will benefit massively because of your [and other donators'] input. When I get paid next, I'll dig out my wallet and put some money in - I deem it only fair! It's a team effort, isn't it?

Mulumbu could be Tiote's replacement if he comes here?

Leif it out, you two. Go and play elsewhere.

Give over with it. Every ball in the air within close proximity, Drogba challenged for and mostly won. There was times you would see him running towards the defenders in desperation as he was offered little support throughout. Would you run around endlessly to chase down loose balls and win balls in the air when their is no-one available to compete for the second ball? I sincerely doubt it.

I was publicising my praises for his performance just minutes before one lapse in concentration from him allowed Mueller a free header on the far post. Talk about speaking to soon, eh? That solitary mistake is easy to eradicate after our terrific turnaround, though. Even if the momentary mishap would have ultimately cost us the game, we couldn't blame Ashley Cole for anything. He was the one acting like a captain in Barcelona, and he was another leading figure tonight. He set the standard for the rest of the team, which is what the more experienced players ought to be doing - showing the 'new kids' how it's done. Bertrand will have learned loads from Cole's performance tonight, especially playing alongside him for an hour or so. His input to our Champions League comeback has been invaluable. Dare I say, if it wasn't for his inspirational performances, we might not have even made the final. World-class epitomises everything about Ashley Cole (on the pitch).

Words can't describe how impressive John Obi Mikel is turning out to be. He's shown glimpses of class and composure in the past, but not to this standard. What's better, is that he's producing performances of this calibre on a frequent basis now. Mikel himself says he enjoys playing football under Di Matteo as he feels he believes in him - if this is what can happen to players given some extra belief, what have all the previous managers been playing at? He's like a new signing. Hopefully whoever is in charge next season can maintain his confidence levels and we can continue to witness his progression and development in that holding role. Faultless tonight, as he has been for a few months. Great distributor of the ball, and has seemingly calmed down with those risky challenges he was subject to which can only be a good thing! Nice work, Roberto.